Form 1098-T and Tax Information
Please note: Employees of Coastal Carolina University are not qualified to offer tax advice. Please consult with a tax professional for assistance with tax filing questions.
Form 1098-T is necessary for persons who wish to utilize Educational Tax Credits. Form 1098-T will be available by Jan. 31st to students who meet the IRS reporting requirements. If you don't have a SSN/ITIN on file with the University please update immediately with the Registrar’s Office.
Form 1098-T can be accessed through Self-Service. If you have difficulties accessing Self-Service, please contact Student Computing Services via a Support Request Form or (843)349-2220. If you have general questions about your 1098-T, please email the Tax Office with your student name, student ID number, and a detailed message regarding assistance needed.
Receipt of a Form 1098-T does not establish eligibility for certain educational tax credits. Students should consult a tax advisor to determine eligibility. Contact the Tax Office for any questions or concerns by March 1st. Changes to any 1098T document; including but not limited to, name, address, social, amounts, etc. cannot be altered after March 1st in preparation of submitting documents to the IRS.
** Special Note regarding Study Abroad and International Education Charges
Some or all of your charges related to Study Abroad & International Education may be classified as Qualified Tuition and Related Fees. These are not included on your form 1098-T. It is recommended to request an itemized list of charges of your trip from studyabroad@coastal.edu. These should be provided to your CPA or tax advisor regarding which charges may or may not be classified as QTRE and therefore potentially tax deductible if paid.
Frequently Asked 1098-T Questions
What is Form 1098-T?
When and how can 1098-T Forms be accessed?
What does each box on the 1098-T represent?
What are common reasons why the numbers on Form 1098-T don’t equal the amounts I paid to CCU during the year?
What are the IRS reporting criteria?
What other information do I need to claim the educational tax credit?
What are common qualified expenses?
What are common non-qualifying expenses?
South Carolina Tax Credit Information
Where can I find more information about tax benefits?
What happens if I don’t provide my Social Security Number?
Can a parent/guardian or other individual request a student 1098-T form and discuss details about this document?
How to consent to receive tax documents?
Does the University send a copy of the 1098-T to the IRS?
Why didn’t I receive a 1098-T?
What is Form 1098-T?
The IRS requires Coastal Carolina University to report, both to the student and the IRS, certain summary financial information for students who meet IRS reporting criteria. This information is provided to assist students in determining their eligibility for certain educational tax credits. This includes the following payments for transactions posted to student accounts:
- Tuition and qualified fees (see Box 1 below)
- Total amount of any scholarships or grants processed during the calendar year for payment of the student’s costs of attendance. Transmitted grants and scholarships, include (see Box 5 below):
- CCU administered grants and scholarships
- External/private scholarships
- Third party payments made by sponsors billed by the University on behalf of the student
When and how can 1098-T Forms be accessed?
Forms 1098-T are available electronically by the Jan. 31 IRS reporting deadline. Forms can be accessed through Self-Service by selecting “Tax Information”. Then provide consent to receive the 1098-T in electronic format. Available tax year will be displayed for you to download. We also recommend downloading any semester statements within the calendar year from Student Account Center.
What does each box on the 1098-T represent?
Box 1: Payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses during the calendar year. The amount reported is the total amount of payments received less any reimbursements or refunds made during the calendar year that relate to the payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses for the same calendar year.
Box 2: Beginning with tax year 2018, this box is no longer used.
Box 4: Shows the amount of any adjustments made for a prior year for qualified tuition and related expenses that were reported on a prior year 1098-T form. This could reduce any allowable credit you claimed for the prior year.
Box 5: This box reports scholarship and grants, but not loans, posted to your account during the calendar year for the cost of attendance.
Box 6: Shows adjustments to scholarships or grants for a prior year. This may affect any allowable credit you claimed in a prior year.
Box 7: If this box is checked, shows whether the amount in Box 1 includes amounts for an academic period beginning January-March of the current year.
Box 8: If this box is checked, it indicates the student was enrolled at least half-time for at least one semester during the tax year.
Box 9: If this box is checked, then the student was a graduate student at any time during the tax year.
What are common reasons why the numbers on Form 1098-T don’t equal the amounts I paid to CCU during the year?
The amount in Box 1 represents only the amounts paid for qualified tuition and related expenses and does not include payments made for room and board, medical charges, or CINO Card, which, though important, are not considered mandatory education expenses for tax purposes.
Form 1098-T reports amounts that the student paid during a calendar year, and the pay date does not necessarily correspond to the dates that the classes were attended. Reason being, tuition for the Spring semester is typically billed in November so a student may have paid tuition for the Spring semester in 2018 despite the fact that classes didn’t start until 2019. (Seniors typically notice a lower amount in Box 1 when graduating in Spring because bills typically posted in November and paid before December.)
What are the IRS reporting criteria?
The IRS requires Coastal Carolina University to provide 1098-T data for any enrolled student for whom a reportable transaction is made. The following exceptions apply:
- Students who are not U.S. citizens or who do not have permanent resident alien status, only upon request.
- Students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are entirely waived or paid entirely with scholarships.
- Courses for which no academic credit is offered, even if the student is otherwise enrolled in a degree program.
What other information do I need to claim the educational tax credit?
Most of the information needed must come from the student's personal financial records of what the student paid during the calendar year. Payment transactions can be viewed in Student Account Center. Consult with your tax advisor if you have questions claiming tax credits.
What are common qualified expenses?
Qualified expenses include tuition, registration, academic lab fees, computer technology fees, and program fees.
What are common non-qualifying expenses?
Non-qualified expenses include room, board, and medical charges.
South Carolina Tax Credit Information
To help ease the financial burden for South Carolina college students and their families, the South Carolina General Assembly has recently increased its income tax credit for eligible students for tuition paid to South Carolina colleges and universities. This enhanced tax credit is now in effect for currently enrolled students who meet the statutory eligibility. More information can be found at South Carolina Department of Revenue Tuition Tax Credit I-319 Forms
Where can I find more information about tax benefits?
- IRS Publication 970 - Educational Tax Benefits
- IRS Tax Information for Students
- South Carolina Department of Revenue Tuition Tax Credit**
What happens if I don’t provide my Social Security Number?
Failure to provide a correct Social Security Number while claiming tax credits for qualified education expenses, the IRS can levy a penalty against the student until the missing or incorrect information is provided to the University. In addition, no 1098-T will be generated until a valid Social Security Number has been provided to the University.
Can a parent/guardian or other individual request a student 1098-T form and discuss details about this document?
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), this Federal law protects the privacy of student education records. If a student has not authorized a parent/guardian or other individual on their account, then the University is not able to discuss anything with that individual due to this Federal law.
How to consent to receive tax documents?
Go to Self-Service, Tax Information and consent to receive forms electronically.
Does the University send a copy of the 1098-T to the IRS?
Yes, Coastal Carolina University is required to send a copy of your 1098-T to the IRS.
Why didn’t I receive a 1098-T?
Institutions are not required to furnish a 1098-T to non-resident aliens (unless requested by the student) and students whose qualified tuition and related expenses are waived or paid with scholarships or grants. In addition, the timing of each charge and payment/scholarships are important regarding the year they are reported. For example, students may have charges in November or December of one year that are actually for the next year, this happens with Spring semester tuition. In this case, the charges in November or December will be credited on the 1098-T year the charges occurred, and not the year of the Spring semester tuition. Payments in Box 1 may also be zero, and in certain circumstances, this could be caused by a IRS cap on qualified tuition and related expenses, or a scholarship and grant for Spring semester did not post until January of the following year. Due to these different circumstances, the student should consult a tax profession to determine their tax status.